Handygo lends a helping hand

CABI secures partnership with Handygo to extend agricultural information to India’s rural communities.

Handygo technologies, one of India’s the leading mobile value-added service (VAS) providers, has collaborated with CABI’s Direct2Farm initiative to extend the reach of agricultural knowledge to India’s rural poor. Combining Handygo’s expertise in mobile technology platforms with CABI’s agricultural knowledge repository, the partnership will provide India’s rural farmers with access to locally specific agricultural knowledge through Short Messaging Services (SMS) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

The partnership with Handygo technologies, which joins other VAS collaborators such IKSL, will extend the coverage of Direct2Farm’s agro-infomediary service to more rural communities. By aggregating current information on farming techniques that are specific to localised agro-climatic, economic and cultural conditions, Direct2Farm provides farmers with the practical solutions needed to increase productivity and reduce the impacts of threats.

The service, covering 18 regional languages across India, aims at opening access of agricultural knowledge to smallholder farmers by overcoming geographic and language barriers simultaneously. Elizabeth Dodsworth, CABI’s Direct2Farm project executive, explains the importance of the partnership.

“We are delighted to partner with Handygo one of India’s leading VAS providers. We have noticed a great potential in the untapped and high potential rural market and look forward to sharing the research and data with various stakeholders for ensuring the latest and validated information.”